Trump Administration Approves Firing Squad and Electrocution as Death Penalty Methods

The U.S. Department of Justice has directed federal prisons to expand the range of methods used for executions to include firing squads, gas asphyxiation, and electrocution. In a 48-page memo released on Friday, April 24, 2026, the department said the move would “strengthen” the death penalty, “deter the most barbaric crimes, deliver justice for victims, and provide long-overdue closure to surviving loved ones.” The memo defends the use of lethal injection, calling the drug pentobarbital “the gold standard of lethal injection drugs.” It has been the default method for federal executions since 1993 but has faced criticism as a potentially cruel method, with recent challenges in sourcing the drug. Broadening execution methods, the department said, will aid ensure it can carry out lawful executions even if a specific drug becomes unavailable. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche released the report fulfilling former President Donald Trump’s promise to resume capital punishment at the federal level during his second term. In his first term, which ended in 2021, Trump resumed federal executions after a 20-year gap, carrying out 13 executions by lethal injection in his final months in office. Blanche has authorized seeking death sentences against nine individuals after Trump rescinded a moratorium on federal executions imposed by President Joe Biden. The Justice Department said among the actions taken are readopting the lethal injection protocol used during the first Trump administration, expanding the protocol to include additional methods such as firing squads and electrocution, and streamlining internal processes to expedite death penalty cases. Blanche instructed the Bureau of Prisons to modify its execution protocol to include additional, constitutionally permitted methods currently authorized under the laws of certain states. The department pointed to firing squads and electrocution as established alternatives, and noted gas asphyxiation as a newer method pioneered by Alabama in 2024. The previous administration had placed a moratorium on most federal executions. Before leaving office, President Biden granted clemency to 37 of the 40 federal death row inmates. On his first day back in office in January 2025, Trump signed an executive order directing the pursuit of the death penalty for all crimes of sufficient severity, as well as in cases where an undocumented immigrant kills a law enforcement officer. The development underscores ongoing shifts in federal criminal justice policy under the current administration, particularly regarding capital punishment and execution protocols. It also reflects broader national debates about the methods and morality of state-sanctioned executions.